Seed-planter and fertilizer-distributer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. G. VAN PELT.

SEED PLANTBR AND FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER] No. 398,477. Patented Feb. 26,1889.

Witnesses. Ina-e 71/230 r.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. G. .VAN PELT.

SEED PLANTER AND FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER. No. 398,477. Patented Feb.26,'18 89.'

Inventor E Gerry VaJLIQZ/t By his .flizorncy N, PETERS, Pholo-Lilhcgraplwr, Washington. DC.

Uni'rnn STATES PATENT @rrron.

ELBRIDGE GERRY VAN PET/l, OF CENTRE HALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

seamen/rates AND FERTILIZER-=DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Yatent No. 398,477, dated February26, 1889.

Serial No. 200,854. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELBRIDGE GERRY VAN PELT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Centre Hall, in the county of Centre and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSeed-Planters and Fertilizer-Distributers; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

The present invention relates to the same class of seeding andfertilizing machines as is described in my pending application filed May1,1883, Serial No. 96,563; and the invention consists in certainimprovements on the construction therein set forth. The general featuresof that machine are still retainedsuch as the two seed-slides, eachhaving two dropping-apertures, the single fertilizer-dropper with anoverhanging guard or cut-off, and a right-angled crank-shaft foroperating the two seed-slides independently.

The principal improvements consist in the mechanism for depositing thefertilizing ma terial, in rendering the two cranks of the axleadjustable in reference to each other, and in an improved constructionof the drivingwheels, so that they may be readily removed and others ofdifferent size substituted in their stead. These improvements areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan\lOW of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the wheels. Fig. 3is an inside view of the same. Fig. 3" is a cross-section of. one of thewheels in a plane indicated by the line 3 3" in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 showsdetails of the crank-adjusting mechanism. Fig. 4* is a section of thecrankshaft, showing the crank-adjusting mechanism, being in a planeindicated by the line t at in Fig. at. Fig. 5 is a side view of thefertilizing-compartment, the outer casing being removed. Fig. 6 is avertical central cross section of the same. Fig. 7 is a View of thebottom of the fertilizer-compartment, showing the adjustablefeeding-slide. Fig. 8 shows 1 details of the swinging fertilizerdistributer, and Fig. 9 shows details of. the adjustable cut-off.

A is the seed-compartment, and B the fertilizer-compartinent, of thehopper. .C O are the two reciprocating seed-slides, each provided withtwo dropping-apertures, a a. D is the reciprocating fertilizer-rod. E Eare the drivingwheels. F is the rotativelymounted axle, having twocranks, G G. H is the connecting-rod connecting one of the cranks, G, toone of the seed-slides C, and I is the connecting-rod connecting theremaining crank, G, to the remaining seed-slide C and to thefertilizer-rod D. This arrangement and its resulting operation andpurposes are the same as in the prior application. The seedslides andthe arrangement of devices in the seed-compartinent are also identicalwith the similar parts in the prior application. The mechanism, however,described in said prior 1 application for depositing the fertilizer isopen to a serious objection in practice. The reciprocating seed-slidetherein shown packs the fertilizer against the ends of thefertilizer-compartment, the result being that every little while it isnecessary to stop the machine and repnlverize the fertilizer. To obviatethis difficulty a swinging fertilizer'distributer has been substitutedfor the reciprocating slide, and inthis connection other improvementshave also been introduced.

Referring to Figs. 5 to 9, J is the swinging fertilizendistributer. Thisdistributer is in the shape of the sector of a circle, and it is formedwith a curved bottom piece, I), consti- 1 tuting the arc of the circle,and three radial arms, 0 c 0. At the upper point, where the 1 threeradial arms meet, the sector is pivoted to a pivot-piind, fixed at thecenter and near the upper part of the fertilizer-chamber. Thedistributer thus swings in an arc corresponding to its bottom piece, I),and, the sides of the fertilizer-compartment being similarly curved, thedistributor swings freely and without clogging. Any fertilizing materialdisplaced by the distributer is thrown upward and falls back'againloosely into the chamber. The distributer is provided with severallaterallyi extending stirring-pins, e e, which keep the fertilizingmaterial in a pulverized condition. 011 its lower edge, on the sideadjacent to the inner wall of the chamber, the distributor is formedwith three horizontally inwardly projecting arms, K K. The central oneof these arms is located. at the center of the are 7), and

the other two are located on each side thereof Z at distances equal tothe extent of the movement of the sector to either side of a centralline. The discharging-aperturef in the bottom of the compartment islocated at the longitudinal center thereof, andwhen the sector is at itscentral or vertical position the centralarm is directly over thedischarging-aperture. The movement of the sector to either side issutlicient to bring one of the side arms, K, across the centraldischarge-aperture. In thus swinging across the discharge-aperture thephosphate (where a phosphate is the tertilizing material employed)retained in the two spaces between the three arms is carried across thedischargeaperture, and thus in each complete oscillation of the sectorthe phosphate will be deposited four times. Since the seed is droppedfour times by the seedslides, as set forth in application No. 96,563, itis essential that the phosphate should be deposited as many times andsimultaneously, as is the case with this swinging sector. The sector isoscillated by being connected with the reciprocating'rod D. This rod iscylindrical, and, extending at all times through apertures at both endsof the chamber, the reciprocation can in no manner compact thephosphate. Within the chamber this red carries a vertically-extendingpin, g, which is held between two horiZontally-extending arms, 71. 72 onthe sector. The reciprocation of the rodD brings the pin 9 alternatelyin contact with the pins 71 71, thus oscillating the sector, the pin 9being of sufficient length so as not to become ment, and is providedwith a series of bolt-' holes, 7'. j j,wh ieh are adapted to coincidewith an aperture, 1.", on an exterior extension of the hopper-bottom,and the slideis held in the desired position byabolt. 'll1el)oltholesare one greater in number than the apertures t 1, so that theslide may be fixed in such a position as to leave the entire area of thedischargeaperture f exposed. An adjustable guard or cut-off plate, M, isalso provided, as in application No. 96,563. which overhangs thedischarge-aperture f above the line of the path of the arms K K, inorder to prevent the pouring of the phosphate through the same. Thiscut-off is vertically adjustable, as in said application, so as toregulate the flow of the sons as those set forth in said application.

In. application No. 96,563, in order to operate the three sidessynchronously, it is necessary to uncouple and entirely remove one ofthe connecting-rods and then to adjust the couplingrod. This renders theadjustment too difficult; and a further object of this invention is torender this adjustment more ready in ac complishment. In the presentcase the adjustment is accomplished by rendering the 5 two cranks G G ofthe axle adj ustahle 1n refcrence to each other.

The axle F is a divided one, and has two roi-atively-mountedbearing-studs, Z Z, to which are secured cross-bars N N at right anglesthereto. One of these bars carries the crank and the other the crank G.The division of the axle is between the two cranks. One crank, G,carries a wheel, 0, which has an annular flange, m, on its outer face,and the other crank, G, has a smaller wheel, P, which rests in theflange of the larger wheel. These two wheels are concentric with eachother and with the axle F. Each wheel has an aperture through itscenter, and through these apertures is passed a headed andscrew-threaded belt, a. A nut, 0, fitting on the end of this bolt,clamps the two wheels 0 P against each other in the desired position. Asit is only necessary that the cranks should be adjusted to twopositions-one at which they shall be at right angles to each other andthe other at which they shall be parallelthe flange m is cut away forthe distance of about ninety degrees of the periphery of wheel 0. Theshoulders thus formed constitute stops for the crank G, so that when thecrank reaches its limit of motion in either direction it will occupy oneof the desired positions. The amount of the flange cut away will beninety degrees plus the diameter of the crank. When the cranks areparallel, the three slides will move synchronously.

lVith each machine thatis sold two or more sets of wheels of differentdiameters are furnished, so that the seeds maybe planted at differentdistances apart. To this end each wheel E is made in two similar halves,Q Q. Each half has a half-square notch, 19, at its center, so that whenthe two halves are placed together a square eye will be formed, whichfits over the squared stud Z of the axle. Each hall" Q, has also atriangular notch, r, and projection s on its straight edge, whichinterlock with corrcspomling parts on the other half. Each half has alsotwo locking projections, 25

i, one between the notch and the center eye and the other between. theprojection s and the periphery of the halt-wheel. The two halves arethus exactly alike and may be made from the same cast. \Vhen broughttogether, the locking projection locks the two halves together. Eachhalf is also bolted to one of the bars N N on the axle F by bolts u. Thewheels ICC IIO

are thus securely held to the axle, and may be removed to be replaced bythose of different size by simply removing the bolts u:

I claim as my invention 1. The fertilizer-compartment having a discharge-aperture in the bottom thereof, and a swingingfertilizer-distributer in said compartment swinging in a vertical plane,and having its lower edge curved in an arc coinciding with that in whichit swings, and horizontally projecting arms on said distributer, whichswing over said discharge-aperture, in combination with a cut-offlocated in the compartment above the discharge-aperture, beneath whichsaid projecting arms swing, substantially as set forth.

The fertilizer-compartment having an aperture in the bottom thereof andthe swinging fertilizer-distributer having three horizontally-extendingarms which swing across said aperture, in combination with avertically-adj ustable cut-off above said aperture and above the path ofsaid horizontal arms, substantially as set forth.

3. The fertilizer-compartment and the swing ing fertilizer-distributerwithin the same, said distributer having a curved side which coincideswith the arc in which it swings, in combination with a reciprocatingoperating-rod connected with said distrib uter, said rod passing throughboth ends of the fertilizer-compartment, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The fertilizer-compartment and the swinging fertilizer-distributerwithin the same, said distributer having a curved side coinciding withthe arc in which it swings, and having two horizontally-extending arms,7t 7b, in combination with a reciprocating operatingrod passing throughboth ends of the fertilizerchamber, said rod having a pin, g, which islocated between said arms 71 71, substantially as set forth.

5. The divided axle, each division of which carries a crank, each ofsaid cranks carrying a wheel concentric with the axle, said wheels beingadjustable in relation to each other, substantially as set forth.

6. The double-cranked axle, the cranks of which are adjustable inreference to each other, in combination with two reciprocatingseedslides and one reciprocating fertilizerrod, a connecting-rodconnecting one of said seed-slides to one of said cranks, and a secondconnecting-rod connecting the remaining seed-slide and thefertilizer-rod to the remaining crank, substantially as set forth.

7. The divided wheel composed of two iden tical halves, each half havinginterlocking parts which interlock with the corresponding parts on theopposite wheel, substantially as set forth.

8. The axle having crossbars N N, in combination with the dividedwheels, the halves of which are bolted to said bars, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

E. GERRY VAN PELT.

Witnesses ARTHUR S. BRowNE, S. H. WALKER.

